Green Bay Packers Fans Must Keep Faith

The Green Bay Packers‘ season is in jeopardy this Sunday when they face off against the division rival Minnesota Vikings, but it’s not time for Green Bay fans to hit the panic button.

The Packers’ game on Sunday at Lambeau is one of the most important of the season. Green Bay has been resilient all season even with major injuries to key players throughout the team; they persevered and brought their record to an NFC North-leading 5-2. Since that time, the Packers lost the glue that kept the team together, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have faded to third in the division with a 5-5 record, and are now fighting for their playoff lives.

If Green Bay falls to the lowly Vikings, the fans may start to feel that the end is near and the hopes for a return to the playoffs this season is out of reach. I say not so fast.

The Packers will come into this game with an intensity that has been lacking since the injury to Rodgers; it’s time to break out of the slump, and this team knows it. The Packers have not endured a losing streak of three games since 2008, when they finished out of the playoffs with a record of 6-10. This Packers team has too much pride to give up on a season. It’s time for the leaders of this team to step up and get the Packers positioned to make the playoffs even with Rodgers sidelined.

The Packers come into Sunday’s matchup with the 3-7 Vikings with Scott Tolzien set to make his second start of his career. Tolzien has improved steadily since being thrust into the spotlight against the Philadelphia Eagles. He has had a problem with turnovers, but once those mistakes are corrected, the rookie quarterback will be poised to take control of the offense and help them succeed on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau.

The Packers’ defense has been brought under extreme scrutiny during this three-game losing streak, and fans are becoming restless with a defense that is unable to get the opposing teams’ offense off the field to give Green Bay a chance at a victory. The defense has been ravaged by injuries and looked as if they were ready to turn the corner, but with Rodgers going down, the pressure swung back on the defense and they have not answered the call.

The defense did get back a healthy Clay Matthews, which will be a major upgrade. It’s time for Clay to ignite this Packers defense and them until the return of Rodgers.

If the defense is able to make the proper adjustments with Matthews fully returning to the lineup, Green Bay may be able to hold on until their star signal-caller returns to action. Packers fans just need to hold on and keep the faith.

Thomas Yale is a Blogger/Sports Writer for Rantsports.com . Follow him on Twitter @tyale12, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.